Your'e Not Dead To Me
by VampireFreakBVB
Summary: Morganville Vampires Fanfic! What if the one you thought was dead, wasn't? He's alive and has come back for revenge. A great revenge that will hurt his thought attacker worse than actually killing him, and Claire's suddenly missing. Read to find out who's back.
1. Chapter 1

Claire woke in an unfamiliar place; it stunk of unthinkable things and was very dark. When she tried to move, she realized she was vertical, with her hands pinned above her head and feet tied together, only standing on her tiptoes, and she seemed to be against a wall. Suddenly, as she became more aware, she also became aware of pain. A lot of it.

Her head ached, and she remembered flashes of being hit with something heavy and cold, and everything in her body hurt, as if she had been beaten anywhere possible. More flashbacks came and she realized she was beaten, but couldn't figure out who had done it. As she tested the restraints on her arms, she realized it was rope, lined with something sharp against her wrists. She still struggled against them, but soon felt the warm lines of blood dripping down her arms and realized she should stay calm. The more she fought, the more it would dig into her wrists. The blood loss would make her weak. She had to think.

As Claire became tired, her head hanging low, she drifted off and on. She didn't know how long she had been there, or the last time she had eaten. She wanted to see her friends, wanted Shane to hold her in his arms and tell her everything was okay and that she was safe, but for right now, all she could hope was that they weren't doing something stupid.

Claire felt awful and filthy, the lack of sleep and food, making her weak and sick. She had yet to see her kidnapper, but couldn't call out, seeing as how her mouth was covered in duct tape. She finally had the disturbing realization that she was going to die here. How would her friends or anyone else know how to find her? Or anyone for that matter?

She would never see Shane again.

With those realizations, came panic and sadness and tears welled up in Claire's eyes. She sniffled, trying to hold them back and heard footsteps come toward her, she squeezed her eyes shut. The footsteps got closer and stopped. She opened her eyes and almost screamed.


	2. Chapter 2

This could not be possible. He was dead, Shane and his father were blamed for it, but there he was. Brandon stood in front of Claire, grinning a fang-y grin.

He laughed a slow, malicious laugh and walked slowly toward her, "Hello, Claire. Miss me?"

Claire shook her head, glaring.

"That's too bad. I missed you a lot, my dear."

He leaned forward, lightly placing his fangs against her neck, and then huffed. The warm air of his breath making Claire shiver. Brandon took a step back, "No, I'll wait."

He ripped the duct tape off Claire's mouth and she cried out, and suddenly felt red hot pain against her cheek as her head was knocked to the side, "Quiet!" Brandon yelled eyes red. Then they softened, "I didn't want to do that Claire but you made me. If you don't want the duct tape, you'll have to be good."

Claire stayed quiet, "That's right. Just like that." Brandon patted Claire's head and stalked away. Tears welled up again and this time, Claire failed to hold them back. Desperate, lost sobs escaped her lips as she wished that somehow, someone would save her.

Page break

Claire wasn't sure how long it was until Brandon came back. She blacked out a few times but woke up almost instantly when she heard the footsteps.

"Ah, still awake, I see. Good."

"I thought you were dead." Claire said, "I saw you, in the casket."

"I _am _dead, darling. But they failed to take off my head, so I came back. I thought were smart."

"What do you want from me?"

He stroked her cheek, "Sweet Claire. It's not you that I want. Its your little boyfriend. He made a deal with me and had one of his father's barbaric friends kill me. Or try to."

"Shane didn't do anything to you!"

"No, dear. I specifically said 'his father's barbaric friend'. You know that his father caused him the reputation he has but I blame him specifically. He made a deal with no intentions to keep it—"

"You don't know that!"

He continued as if she hadn't spoken, "So I thought I should get back at him. But killing him or injuring him was too simple. Then, BAM!" Claire jumped at his outburst, the rope cutting into her wrists further, "I realized, I should go after the thing he loves most, which is you, my love. This will torture him more then I could have hoped to myself."

Claire opened her mouth to yell, but Brandon put a hand to her lips, "No more." And he sunk his fangs into her neck. As Claire felt herself get weaker and weaker, she thought to herself that she was glad it was her and not Shane. As things got darker, Claire welcomed unconsciousness. Claire felt Brandon's fangs slide out of her skin, "Just sleep. You will be here for a long while." She heard him say before she was gone altogether.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAP 3

When Claire woke up again, her stomach was killing her. She wasn't sure if it was hunger or if something in this disgusting place was making her sick. Brandon eventually threw some form of meat at her. She didn't know if it was cooked, if it was toxic, or even if it was animal or not. The smell of it said enough; even making her want to throw up, but her stomach was empty.

Brandon came back, a grin on his face.

"How long has it been?" she asked.

"You've been here for four days, darling." He answered, then his eyes glittered, "Two since the last time I fed." He continued maliciously. The rotting meat lying on the floor caught his eye, "Well, you didn't eat the gift I brought you. That's very ungrateful." A dangerous gleam showed in his eyes and he picked up the piece of meat, force-feeding it to Claire. She couldn't keep herself from gagging multiple times at the disgusting stuff. When he was done with that, he fed on her again, thankfully dragging Claire into another lapse of unconsciousness.

Shane

I paced the room, not being able to keep still. I haven't been able to stop moving or sleep since Claire went missing. Eve was making coffee in the kitchen and Michael was sitting on the couch, his head in his hands. He glanced up at me after a while, "C'mon, man, you need some sleep."

I just glared at him, "Look, bro, we all love her, but not getting sleep isn't going to help her."

"So I'm just supposed to get a nice sleep, with dreams of rainbows when my girlfriend is missing?" I erupted, enraged. It's been four days since I last saw Claire:

_I woke to an obnoxious beeping sound and felt Claire move under my protective arm to shut off her alarm. I cracked my eyelids open as she turned back to look at me. She looked embarrassed when she saw I was awake, "Sorry," she said softly._

_I groaned, suddenly grabbing her and wrapping her tightly in my arms. She squealed and giggled as I pressed her back to my chest. I moved her hair and kissed the back of her neck, "Stay." I pleaded, even though I knew she wouldn't. She shivered beneath my kisses, "Shane," she groaned, "you know I can't."_

_I pressed my chin in between her neck and shoulder, "Please?" I said, giving her my best puppy dog face. She glanced at me from the corner of her eyes and snorted at my face. She turned so that she was laying on her back, looking up at me as I leaned on my elbow over top of her, "Please, is that the best you got, Collins?"_

_I grinned, "Nope." I crushed my lips to hers, our mouths moving in sync, sliding my tongue across her bottom lip. We were at it like that for another half hour, then Claire finally pulled away, panting, and smacked me for making her late. She got up for a shower and before she left I asked, "Can I at least walk you to your class?"_

_Claire smiled and nodded, disappearing into the hallway. I put my hands behind my head and relaxed, thinking about this morning. And last night. I heard the water shut off on the shower and decided to get my things ready and wait outside of the bathroom door. Claire walked out and smiled at me, kissing me quickly before running into her room. I smiled and watched her leave before finally getting my shower._

_I left the bathroom and looked for Claire, finding her in the kitchen just finishing her breakfast. I grabbed her hand as she grabbed her book bag and we left. I swung our hands between us as we walked, "Have you changed your mind yet?" I ask, jokingly._

_Claire rolled her eyes at me, "Not today. I have a test."_

_I sighed, but kissed her temple, "You owe me." I whispered in ear._

_"Ugh, get a freaking room, seeing the two of you makes me want to puke."_

_I turned to the annoyingly familiar voice, "Back off, skank. You're just jealous."_

_"Right," she scoffed, "Of what?"_

_"Claire." I said pointedly, knowing how badly Monica wanted me in high schol. That, and Claire is a freaking genius. Monica had to be tutored by her once and Claire got some good money out of it,too. Claire also told me that Monica had wanted the answers to a test, so Claire gave them to her._

_On a thumbdrive that had a password that Monica had to study to find out anyway._

_I don't think I was ever more proud of her._

_"Yeah, right. Like I'd ever be jealous of the fashion confused freak."_

_"Watch it. She'll always be ten times smarter than you, let alone the fact that she has what you've been chasing since high school." I said a little bitterly. I knew I was bitter but she killed my sister. I would never forgive her for that. _

_She smirked but it seemed forced. Good, "What crawled up your ass, Collins?"_

_"Your mom." I answered simply. Claire snorted and Monica cocked an eyebrow. I pulled Claire away before Monica could open her fat mouth again._

_We stopped in front of a big building on campus and Claire sighed, "I have to go."_

_"Okay. Remember, you owe me. I'll hold you to it when you get home."_

_Claire blushed and nodded, "Good luck, not like you need it, though, freaky genius girl." I said and winked. Claire giggled and went into the building…_

That was the last time I saw her.

We all heard the door open and Amelie walked in, as white and graceful as ever, "Come on in." I muttered. She glared at me for a split second before regaining her composure.

"I came with news." She announced. Suddenly, I was all ears.

"Do you know where Claire is? Is she okay?" I asked in a rush.

Eve walked into the room to hear the news and I sat on the arm of the couch. Amelie looked at each of us squarely, "There is a certain feature on Claire's bracelet. If a single drop of her blood were on it, I would know of her whereabouts immediately and be called to her."  
"And?" I prompted impatiently.

"_And_, Claire knows how to use this feature. She has used it before, I came to warn you that either something is terribly wrong, or she has forgotten about it."

I sat and stared at her, blinking. I suddenly shot up from my position, "What was the point of that?! To worry us more?! We're already out of our damn minds, what else do you want from us?!"

Amelie's face looked straight ahead, eyes glazing over. She looked at me directly, "I know where she is."


	4. Chapter 4

Claire

Claire woke alone again, feeling worse than before, except this time she had food in her stomach. It didn't take long for Claire to spill the contents of her stomach. Quite a few times within the hour, until her stomach was once again, empty. Brandon showed up again, "Well, what a waste. I guess there's no use in feeding you, seeing as how no matter what, you don't seem to except it." he sighed and walked toward her, grabbing her jaw in his fingers, peering rather creepily into her eyes.

"Claire," he sighed again, "what am I going to do with you? I've tried to be good to you, but you've been ungrateful to me. It pains me, Claire."

"Good?" Claire spat in disbelief, "You're torturing me! You kidnapped me, you beat me, you tied me up, you made me eat the most disgusting thing I've ever had in my life and you're drinking me like a juicebox! This is what you call 'good'?"

"Dear, Claire. Don't you understand? This isn't about you. You're being so selfish. This is about your boyfriend—"

"Shane did nothing wrong! He didn't try to kill you! It was all his dad—"

Claire was silenced by a _crack,_ immediately followed by an intense throbbing in the back of her skull, when she realized Brandon had smashed her head against the wall, "Enough!" he shouted, walking away and dissapearing again.

Claire was a bit delirious and confused, but she knew somehow she had to get out of there. She began to desperately struggle against her restraints again, not entirely aware of her doings, and felt the resistance in Amelie's bracelet against whatever it was cutting into her, and she realized how stupid she'd been.

The bracelet.

Now all Claire had to do was figure out how to get her blood onto a bracelet when she couldn't tilt her arm down to do it. She struggled once more until she was sure she had gotten enough blood on the rope and pressed the bracelet against it, praying it would work.

Shane

"What? How?" I asked in disbelief.

"She's remembered. Her blood has gotten into the bracelet, but not much. I can sense her weakness and illness in it. We must get to her fast. I also sense another vampire, bring whatever weapons you have, I give you permission to kill whoever it is, given that I will if you don't."

We all grabbed our weapons bag and went with Amelie to get our Claire.

It was a place I'd never seen before, which was saying something. It was disgusting, though. Looked like a dumping ground.

"She's in here?" I asked in disgust. Amelie said she could sense Claire's illness. Of course a place like this would make her sick.

"Underground." Amelie answered shortly.

She led us though some hole that went underground. Distantly I could hear coughing and whimpering.

_Claire!_

Michael put a hand on my shoulder, seeming to know what I'd do. There was sadness in his eyes and I knew he was hearing much more than I was. Amelie raced on ahead of us and we jumped into a run.

I heard more whimpering and looked over to the far wall to see my Claire

_Oh God, no._

She was pinned up by her hands, just dandgling, her feet barely touching the ground. I could see the new and dried blood running down her arms and four new holes in her neck.

"Brandon," Amelie hissed.

The bastard.

Wait, I was almost executed for Brandon's murder.

"It must have been a hoax." Amelie mumbled, as if reading my mind.

I refocused my attention to Claire. She was deadly pale, her head sagging forward. Blood was matting her hair and bruises were forming on her face and body and I could already see she'd lost weight. Michael, Eve and I ran to her, Eve undoing her ankles and Michael undoing her hands. I waited to catch her in my arms.

Michael undid the last knot and she totally collapsed. I caught her and held to me desperately. She moaned, "Shane?" I could barely hear it and she was right next to my ear, "I'm here, baby. I'm right here."

I stroked her hair, but froze as she weakly asked, "Are we home yet? Am I home?"

I looked at Eve and Michael, startled, while their eyes just showed sadness. Michael showed me the rope that was around her wrists to reveal nails on the inside of it. I glanced down at her wrists to see all the cuts I hadn't noticed before, proving how much she'd struggled.

"Yeah, Claire. We're home."

"It's dark." She whimpered and for the first time in while, I thought I would cry, "Yeah, it's getting late. You should get some sleep."

"'Kay." She said and slumped against me.

Amelie spoke next, "Leave me. He's not dead yet and I doubt you want to see the dramatics of the hunt. Go. Take her to safety. Keep her well pprotected until he's been found. I have no doubt he will try to attack her again."

I picked Claire up and we took her to the hospital. As we were leaving, I pictured what Amelie had described and shuttered as we picked up our pace.

**Hey! Sorry it's late! So I would have made a little (A/N) sooner buuut, me being the doofus I am, kept forgetting until ****_after_**** I uploaded. Don't smack me, I've already done that :P well, tell me what you think! updates are on Mondays! (Unless I forget again... sorry :P)**


	5. Chapter 5

**So, quick A/N. I wanted to thank a lot of the reviewers, you reviews make my day and actually give me some good ideas, and a shout out to Clairebear97, whose been reviewing at least once for every single chapter and your latest review gave me some inspiration and ideas for upcoming chapters so thanks! I always look forward to your reviews! **

**Read on, my lovlies…..**

We sat in the waiting room for a while, until the doc finally came out, "Claire Danvers?"

I jumped up almost immediately, "Is she okay?" I asked desperately.

"Yes. She will be just fine. She needed two transfusions and will need a pain prescription, she was beaten badly, her ribs are bruised but as far as we can tell there are no fractures or breaks. We will release her in the morning, but she is to be put on strict bed rest for two weeks, after that, let her go at her own pace. Don't give her too much to eat at once, since she's been starved, her body will reject food so it has to be consumed slowly, not only that, but it seems she has a small but not serious case of that must have come from someone feeding her some rancid meat."

"What does that mean?" I ask.

"It means she won't be feeling well for a while. It shouldn't be too bad. As I said, it's a small case, one that should go away in a few days. You should expect a small fever and some stomach pains, but if you get her home and her condition worsens, contact me immediately."

I nodded, "Can we see her?"

He said we could and told us where to go. When I walked in, Claire was still sleeping. She looked even smaller than usual. She was a little more cleaned up than before. Her hair wasn't matted with blood anymore, her wrists were patched up. She was cleaned of sweat and grime and anymore blood that had covered her body, but the bruising was more prominent now. She was still pale, despite the transfusions. I heard a sniffle behind me, and realized Eve was crying. I took the seat next to Claire, taking her hand, as Michael sat down in the fluffy recliner on the other side of the room, pulling Eve onto his lap to comfort her.

Claire didn't budge or wake up for the rest of the day. As it got later, Eve fell asleep and soon Michael succumbed to sleep as well. I stayed up for probably the fifth night in a row, just watching her breathe. Counting every time her chest rose and being thankful for it each time.

Just when I couldn't take the exhaustion any longer, Claire stirred, moaning.

"Shane?" she whispered.

"I'm here," I said softly, standing to lean over her face, "How do you feel?"

"Not much of anything." She mumbled. They must have her on pain meds.

"That's good." I said.

"Will you stay?"

"I'm not going anywhere." I promised.

Claire quickly fell asleep again and so did I, still gripping her hand.

I woke up when I heard Claire whimper. At first, I thought she was in pain, but she was still asleep, her face twisted into one of fear. Of course. The situation she was in would inevitably give her nightmares. I put my warm hand on her clammy cheek, "Claire," I said softly, "Claire! Wake up."

Claire jumped and looked at me, wide eyed, "You're safe," I assured her, "It's okay."

Her eyes started watering and tears fell out of the corners of her eyes, rolling down into her hair. I wiped them away and gently moved onto the bed to lay along side Claire, wrapping her softly in my arms, not wanting to hurt her. She gripped my shirt in her small fists, "I don't want to go back there, Shane."

I stroked her hair, knowing that calmed her down, "You never have to. You're safe now, try to get some sleep."

When she stopped shaking, she eventually drifted off again and it didn't take long for me to do the same.

The next morning, Claire complained of not feeling well for the first time. I sighed, knowing she was going to be sick for a few days. It was bad enough she was so hurt already. I felt her forehead and she was a bit warm. I still layed next to her, holding her in my arms as I rubbed her stomach, trying to make her feel better. The doctor came in a little while later, giving us Claire's perscription for her painkillers. Michael and I left the room so Eve could help Claire get changed.

"Eve and I can go pick up the perscription after we get Claire home, if you want. I'm sure she won't be feeling up to making that pitstop on the way." Mike suggested.

I nodded, "Thanks, man."

A few minutes later, the door to Claire's room opened and Eve came out, Claire holding her arm for support. I quickly walked over so she could use me as a support and she looked at me gratefully.

"Shotgun!" Eve called. Claire giggled and I smiled.

"Take it." I said.

"Thanks, loser!"

"Hey!" I objected, "I just gave you shotgun, how am I the loser?"

"Because you just gave up shotgun." Eve replied as we got into the car. I got in the back seat with Claire, pulling her against me. She put her head on my chest and closed her eyes.

"Alright pale-face."

"Bite me, Collins!"

"Well, that's not really my style. Getting kinky there, Gothika—" I stopped when Claire groaned.

I touched her cheek, "What's wrong?"

Eve looked back at Claire, her expression going from amused to concerned.

She shook her head, "Just don't feel well." She said.

I kissed her hair, "I know. We're almost home, okay? Then we can lay in bed all day long."

Claire smiled and nodded, seeming to get a little paler. I guessed she was downplaying it and was starting to feel the muscle aches too, "Hey, Mike?" I said quietly, "Hurry up, will ya?"

He looked at me in the rearview mirror and looked worriedly at Claire, nodding as we got pressed back against the seat a little as he sped.

**So, it's a boring chapter, I know. But this one is just a filler, I promise, better to come :) Review!**

**BTW: Didn't have much time to edit, so please forgive any errors.**


	6. Chapter 6

**This is a bit boring in the beginning as well but prepare for the cliffhanger of your lives ;)**

Michael waited until Claire and I got inside before peeling out of the drive to get her meds. I was getting worried, Claire seemed even paler than before and I quickly got her into bed. I pulled her to me as she got comfortable, "How are you feeling?" I asked.

"I'm okay." She mumbled sleepily.

I touched my fingers under her chin to make her look at me, "Tell me the truth."

She grimaced, "Okay, I feel like hell."

"I figured." I replied.

She glowered at me, "If you already knew than what was the point of making me answer?"

I chuckled. "I'm trying to show concern."

"Hmm." Was all I got in response. I told her to go to sleep and kissed her hair. I drifted on and off with her until Michael knocked quietly on the door. He came in with Claire's prescription and put it on the nightstand, leaving quickly so he didn't wake Claire.

Although, he really couldn't have made better timing. A short while later, Claire woke up, just about in tears, finally feeling the bruising and the aching. She twisted a weird way in her sleep and must have hurt her ribs in the process. I quickly got her a drink and gave her the medicine, wishing I could have made it go away faster. I rubbed her back as she grimaced in pain until the medicine kicked in and she smiled drowsily. I tried to tell her to go back to sleep, but she refused, a little high. I didn't dare get Michael or Eve, deciding I was going to enjoy her little episode by myself.

I couldn't help but laugh as she giggled at absolutely nothing, making random comments or observations about herself, or me, or Michael, or Eve. Nothing bad, just slightly goofy. The episode was short lived however, when she finally succumbed to the drowsiness. I smiled at her finally relaxed form as the color slowly crept back into her bruised face. About an hour later, I decided to get up, figuring Claire wasn't going to wake up for a while. I left her a short note, letting her know I'd just be downstairs and silently backed out of the room.

As I descended the stairs, I saw Michael and Eve sitting on the couch and looked up at me expectantly. "What?" I snapped impatiently.

"We just wanted to know how Claire is. Jeez, grumpy." Eve retorted, rolling her eyes.

I rubbed a hand over my face, "Sorry, she's alright. She woke up a little while ago, she messed up her ribs when she moved or something, but she's knocked out on the pain meds now."

She nodded before Michael spoke, "Seriously, man, when's the last time you got a solid sleep?"

"Last night." I said. It was true, I slept most of the night once Claire went back to sleep.

Michael shook his head, "No, you were up half the night last night too. Between Claire being unconscious, to her nightmare, to you moving from the chair to her bed, you barely got any."

"You heard that, huh?" He gave me a kind of duh look and I nodded, "Right, fang boy."

He rolled his eyes and I realized just how tired I was. I collapsed in Michael's empty chair and we all started watching a movie. Half way through, we heard a scream from upstairs.

**Claire **

Claire woke up feeling groggy and numb. When she turned, she didn't see Shane next to her, instead, a small white paper lying on the pillow.

_Didn't want to wake you up, but I did enjoy your little episode from the drugs_—

Claire groaned, a small smile playing on her face, happy she didn't remember it.

_I'm right downstairs if you need me. I love you._

_-shane_

Claire smiled and heard her house mates muffled voices downstairs. She lay in bed for a while, trying to shake off some of the effects of her medicine when she realized how gross she felt. They had cleaned her up some at the hospital, but there was still lingering dirt and the memories of Brandon's hands on her. She shuttered and flashbacks of her confinement came back to her and she decided she desperately needed to wash it all off. The memories, the dirt and the feeling of being so disgusting because some freak had his hands all over her. Claire touched her neck tentatively, feeling the gauze that covered the puncture holes. She started wondering if everything that she remembered was all that happened or if there was more that happened while she blacked out and shuddered.

Sighing heavily, Claire worked her way out of bed slowly and made her way toward a shower. After about 20 minutes of warm water and a lot of scrubbing, she got out, only to realize that in her drugged haze, she forgot her clothing.

She quickly wrapped a towel around her and scurried to her room, locking the door and finding clothes. Finally, she was finished, clean and relaxed, and sat down on her bed, deciding if she should go downstairs or go back to sleep. The latter seemed nice and just as she was about to curl up, cool breath assaulted her neck, right after she realized her window was open.

"No fair, escaping me. But I do have to admit, the chase is certainly more fun than just watching you do nothing all day."

Claire screamed.

** Don't hate me! Much more to come and with the information you crave ^.^ Hope you liked! Review and see ****you next week, my loves!**

**BTW: it's called re-uploaded cuz I screwed it up the first time lol**


	7. Chapter 7

Brandon growled harshly, grabbing a fistful of Claire's hair, "Foolish girl! You shouldn't have done that."

Just then, Claire heard the loud footsteps of her friends barreling up the stairs. Before she could even react to Shane's shouting and banging on her door, she was hit with a flashback.

_She was stepping out of her class and into the sun, enjoying the feeling of it on her face, but suddenly, got a very bad feeling. She stopped and looked around hesitantly; she'd learned that it was best to trust your gut in this town. Claire didn't like the intense uneasy feeling she had in her stomach and decided it was best to probably get home. She had already taken her exam and there was nothing important going on in the rest of her classes, not like she didn't already know what they were teaching, anyway. When she decided that home was her best bet, the feeling that had formed in the pit of her stomach had loosened and she sighed in relief, looking forward to being safe in Shane's company, once again._

_Claire started her short walk home and wondered if she should make a quick stop by Common Grounds to see Eve and decided it couldn't be so bad. Eve would be there, she'd be okay._

_As Claire started toward Common Grounds, she saw a dark figure out of the corner of her eye a few feet behind her_—

Claire snapped back to the present, her memory cutting off, as her door was kicked down and suddenly the painfully tight grip on her hair was released. Shane ran in, grabbed Claire's arm, and pulled her up to stand behind him, stake in hand.

"_Don't touch her!"_

The words came out of Michael's mouth in a sound that terrified Claire and she never wanted to hear it again. She cowered behind Shane, gripping the back of his shirt. There wasn't much she could do, the pain medicine hadn't worn off yet and she was still a little woozy, but holding on to Shane helped her stand straighter, firmer, like she wasn't scared, when in reality, she was ready to curl into a ball and cry.

As her heart began to race, Claire reminded herself of the countless vampires she'd faced down, scolding that she'd faced worse. Claire stood a little straighter and looked Brandon in the eyes as he hissed, "This isn't over!" and disappeared.

"GODDAMN IT!" Michael growled and disappeared as well.

Shane quickly turned, cupping Claire's face in his hands, then moving them while he frantically interrogated her body for injury, "Are you alright? Are you hurt? I swear, I'll kill that son of a bitch if he laid even a finger—"

"I'm okay, Shane." Claire said quietly. Not only had her adrenalin rush worn off, but she was also feeling the effects of what Brandon had made her eat. Put those together and she thought she would throw up. She mumbled something to Shane and quickly lied down. Eve was nowhere to be seen and Claire guessed she had gone to find Michael, while Shane crouched down beside the bed, looking into Claire's eyes and stroking her hair, "Don't feel well? You're getting pale again." His tone was sad and worried.

Claire only nodded and Shane seemed torn between standing guard and trying to make his girlfriend feel better. He compromised by sitting on the edge of the bed, alert, but also focused on Claire, rubbing her back, stomach, hair. Anything he could reach that would relax her but Claire knew something was wrong, "Shane?"

He looked at her, guilt written all over his face, "I'm sorry, Claire. I should have been there. If I had just stayed with you—if I hadn't gone downstairs— you would have— this wouldn't have—"

Claire cut him off, rescuing him from his sputtering, "Shane, its okay. Nothing happened, I wasn't hurt."

Shane nodded, still looking grim, "I don't want him to touch you. I heard about what he did to Eve, to her screwed-up brother. I can't imagine that being you." He hesitated for a second, "Do you remember anything? He didn't— I mean…"

"Not that I know of." Claire admitted quietly. That was what she was worried about earlier. _Was _there something she didn't remember? She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard Shane sigh in relief. She looked into his eyes, that were slightly less worrisome now, but that was quickly replaced with worried curiosity, "What _do _you remember, Claire?"

She explained about the small flashback she'd had just moments before, and a little of what happened when she woke up in that dark place, but she didn't want to upset him. That, and she was starting to get tired again. Shane noticed her growing fatigue and cupped her cheek with his hand, "It's okay, you don't have to tell me, but you can if you ever need to. I'll always be there to listen. Go to sleep, I won't let him hurt you." Claire smiled and started to drift off, but not before she heard voices.

"…can't find him…disappeared…"

She noticed it as Michael's voice and realized they were talking about Brandon. They hadn't found him? Claire felt a small bout of panic before sleep took her under into oblivion.

**Awe, little bit of Claire/Shane fluff there ^.^ but of course, always likes Shane to blame himself. Did you catch it? A little foreshadow to look forward to there at the end ;)… well, a lot of this chapter is courtesy of Clairebear97, she gave me the ideas, so thanks to her and to all of my lovely reviewers ****J keep reviewing and don't stop reading or writing. Remember****, "****If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."**


	8. AN

Hey, so not an upload yet, I haf a very busy week and I'm almost done with this chapter. I will most likely uploaf tonught, so stay tuned, if not, I'm very sorry and will try tomorrow. Thanks :) 


	9. Chapter 8

**Shane**

I bolted up the stairs faster than I ever thought possible, but I had to get to Claire. Eve and Michael were on my heels as I literally flew into the door. I grabbed the handle and twisted but it was locked, damn it! I pounded my fist into the door, ignoring the pain that shot up my arm, "Claire! Claire open the damn door!" There was no sound from the other side and my panic escalated. Michael shoved me aside, in any other situation, I would have been pissed, but now, I didn't care seeing as how he's the only one strong enough to blow Claire's door clean off the hinges, and that, he did.

He dashed inside the room and I ran in behind him, not paying any attention to Eve, but to Claire, sitting petrified on her bed. I stood beside her bed and yanked her up to stand beside me. I momentarily felt guilty for not paying attention to how roughly I'd handled her but she didn't protest and didn't look like she was in pain, so I left it alone to focus on keeping that stupid leech away from her.

I noticed as Claire's small hands gripped the back of my shirt, like she did in the hospital, and all I wanted to do was hold her in my arms and tell her she was safe, that everything was okay, but that could wait until she really was safe. When that bastard was gone. For good. I couldn't even bring myself to think of his name, not after everything he's done. To Eve, to her jack ass brother,— which really makes me realize why that kid is so damn screwed up— to me…

To Claire.

_My_ Claire.

I could feel my temper flaring as my fist clenched around the stake. I would rip him to shreds myself if he touched her in any way like that.

Then I faltered.

What about Claire? She would have told us right? Maybe she was scared. I would still love her. I would always love her, no matter what. But, how would she deal with it?

I shook the thoughts away, I didn't even know that he did anything like that to her. Maybe nothing happened. I clung to that hope like my life depended on it. And, in a way, it did. Claire was my life.

"_Don't touch her!"_ Michael growled. I wanted to shudder, but I felt Claire do before me and held it back to let her know that I was going to protect her and she didn't have to be scared.

Brandon actually looked freaked as his gaze twitched quickly between Michael, me and Eve, even though he was an older vampire and could probably take us all out. Not that we wouldn't fight with everything we had.

He showed his teeth, "This isn't over!" The words a hiss of air between his sharp teeth, before he disappeared.

"GOD DAMN IT!" Michael yelled and ran after him. Eve went too, looking pretty pissed, I really couldn't blame her.

I turned and began searching all over Claire's body, making sure she wasn't hurt.

Are you alright? Are you hurt? I swear, I'll kill that son of a bitch if he laid even a finger—"

"I'm okay, Shane." She interrupted quietly. When I looked at her face a little closer, I could see she was losing her color again. She mumbled something at me, I couldn't quite hear it, and quickly wobbled unsteadily over to her bed to lay down. I followed her worriedly and crouched down so that my face was level with hers. I watched her as her eyes danced around the room uncertainly and I wasn't sure if she was worried about Brandon, or wondering where Eve and Michael went. Probably both, I just hoped she wasn't scared.

I rand my hand over her hair again and again, "Don't feel well? You're getting pale again." she just nodded and I couldn't figure out what to do. Should I try and make her feel better, or stand guard to make sure Brandon doesn't come back?

God, I'm so useless! I settled for sitting at the edge of Claire's bed, rubbing her hair, or stomach, or back. Whatever worked, but stayed alert at the same time.

Damn it! I could have stopped this! But, no, I just had to go downstairs. I let my guard down. You never do that in Morganville. And she _was_ okay! The medicine made her pain go away, her hair was wet, so obviously she was feeling well enough to get up and take a shower. If I had just been patient, stayed with her until she woke up, waited in her room until she got out, we could have taken Brandon. Having me in her room, instead of her would have caught him off guard. I knew where Claire kept her weapons, he could be dead by now.

Claire could have been safe.

"Shane?" her quietly tired and curious voice broke me out of my thoughts.

I turned to her and, just because she does that to me, I started to stumble over my words, "I'm sorry, Claire. I should have been there. If I had just stayed with you—if I hadn't gone downstairs— you would have— this wouldn't have—"

Claire cut me off, thankfully stopping my embarrassing rant, "Shane, it's okay. Nothing happened, I wasn't hurt."

I nodded and looked down, "I don't want him to touch you," I admitted quietly, "I heard about what he did to Eve, to her screwed-up brother. I can't imagine that being you." Just the thought that Eve's parents had allowed that to happen in their own house, leaving Eve to feel at fault for her brother's behavior, for what happened to him, because she thought she could have saved him, when really she was just as much a victim… the thought made me shudder.

The thought of that being Claire?

It made me sick.

**Soo sorry guys ****L, also sorry for all the screwy typos on the A/N. I had to use my nook which is very hard to type on and I hope that contributes to my "Super busy" story considering I couldn't even get my computer to tell you guys about the delay. So this is where it ends tonight, but, because you guys have been awesome and patient, there will be a bonus apology chapter tomorrow! Thanks for the reviews and support ****J keep reading!**


	10. Bonus Chapter

**Okay, so since Shane's thoughts on the chapter weren't quite finished, here it is, along with a little foresight into what Claire heard before she fell asleep.**

After a bit of hesitation, I finally asked the question that's been swimming in my head since Claire disappeared, "Do you remember anything? He didn't— I mean—"

"Not that I know of." She answered quietly. I sighed in relief, she most likely would have known and the doctors would have been able to tell. Then, I got curious, "What _do_ you remember, Claire?"

She told me about her flashback, that all she could remember was that there was someone behind her…that she was almost home. In my arms, warm and safe. Not cold, hurt and sick.

She told me about what happened, that he bit her, about the rope. I knew there was something she

wasn't telling me, but I shrugged it off when I saw that she was getting tired, "It's okay, you don't have to tell me, but you can if you ever need to. I'll always be there to listen. Go to sleep, I won't let him hurt you." She smiled softly and almost immediately fell asleep. Not long after, Michael came back.

"She okay?"

"Yeah, just a bit shaken up." I answered, "Brandon?"

"Can't find him," he growled, "He totally disappeared. I called Amelie, she'll be here tomorrow. Warn Claire, Amelie wants to speak with her."

Ah, shit.

**Hope you liked :)**


	11. AN 2 sorry :

Sorry if I got your hopes up, but I have an important announcement...kind of. So, in my creative writing class, we have to do a final project, mine being, this fan fiction. Mostly because I wanted to reach the goal of at least 25,000 words (which can be harder than you think) and also because my teacher has read the whole Morganville series (Needless to say, she's awesome) so once I get on a roll, I will most likely be updating regularly, but if I miss one or two...or more... don't be too upset because at some point, this will be done and complete in my computer and you lovelies wont have to worry about me being too busy. All I'll need is five minutes to upload a chapter, and that's it, until this is over! So, there is your warning, just letting you know that if I miss an update or two while I'm working on this, I will definitely make it up to you when it's done. Sorry this is so long but thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 9

Shane

I was hesitant to leave Claire since Brandon decided to attack again, but I was reassured knowing Michael and Eve were more alert now. I asked Mike to keep an eye on her, and as selfish as I felt, I had to get out of the house. I put on my gym shorts and sneakers and as soon as I hit the cement, I took off. I had to run, to sweat it all off. The worry, the pain. I still felt selfish, Claire was in more pain than me, was more scared, but it didn't change the fact that I _had_ to get out of that house. I had no idea what Amelie wanted, but it can't be good.

**Claire**

Claire woke to the angled rays of yellow morning light filtering through her window, making her room warm and bright. She was shocked at how long she had slept, when she fell asleep, it was still daylight.

Claire jolted upright in a panic as the memories of the day before came back in a rush, making her head spin and her ribs ache at the sudden movement. She groaned, clutching at her abdomen and she felt warm hands on her back, "Claire?" Shane asked worriedly, "What is it? Did you have another nightmare or something?"

Claire shook her head and her boyfriend quickly moved to get her water and shake a small pill into his palm, handing them to her, which she took gratefully. Once she washed the medicine down and the pain began to fade, being replaced with a familiar and comfortable numbness, she asked, "What happened?"

Shane sighed, perching himself on the edge of her bed and rubbing the back of his neck, "Yeah, about that. Amelie is making a visit today."

"What? About what?" Claire demanded, sudden panic washing over her again.

Shane put a hand on her shoulder, "Relax. We don't know yet, but whatever it is, we're in it together. Okay?"

She nodded reluctantly and decided she needed a shower. Maneuvering slowly and carefully, with the occasional help of Shane as she got off her bed, she was able to manage it successfully, even in her haze.

She wasn't particularly fond of pain medicine.

It had the perks of lessening her pain, yet made her mind work slowly, which was incredibly frustrating. Especially to a science nerd.

Still, the warm water did well to relax her tense and aching muscles and gave her some alone time to think. What could Amelie want? Surely she wasn't in trouble?

No. Not this time, Brandon came after _her._

Maybe she caught him. Maybe Claire was now safe from the savage vampire. Her hope quickly took a down turn as she imagined her captor somehow resurrected _again,_ and shuddered, redirecting her thoughts.

Sighing, Claire shut off the water when it started spraying cold and got dressed. Shane wasn't in her room so she guessed everyone was downstairs and took a deep breath, expecting to meet with Amelie.

She was right, as Claire descended the stairs, she saw Amelie standing in the living room in all of her powerful glory and Claire was surprised to see that her elegant platinum hair was not twined in the usual crown on her head, but hanging down to her lower back. Of course, she knew Claire was there and turned her cold, ice blue eyes on Claire.

"Ah, Claire. How nice to see you well and rested. I see your recovery is well underway, come, sit."

Sometimes, Claire found it odd that Amelie invited them to do things in their own house, as if they were guests, until she remembered that it _was_ technically Amelie's house.

Claire hastily moved to sit with Shane as Amelie moved to look at Claire directly.

"Claire, I would like you to relocate to some place safe. Away from Morganville, and away from Brandon, until we discover and kill him. I need you safe and unharmed, Claire, you are far too important to Morganville and we cannot have a repeat of the recent events. You will stay in the location I have provided for you until I contact you to let you know it is safe to come back. And you_ will_ come back."

Claire stared in disbelief.

**Okay, so kind of a cliffhanger there. So, this is up to you guys. If you want a brief look into next chapter and Claire's answer, give me….oh, at least 5 comments telling me that you want it. At least by 7 pm tomorrow. Also, to those of you who have hinted at me about Clyrnin, I'm sorry, I love Myrnin, I think he's the cutest, funniest, craziest scientist vampires ever, but in no way do I support Clyrnin. No offense to those who do ship them, but you will see no Clyrnin stories or moments from me. I love Shane too much, and if I could, I would marry him myself. Well, I'm at 7,717 words now on the version of this I'm doing for creative writing. It's not close to 25,000, but it's progress. Wish me luck!**


	13. Sneak Peek!

"What? No way! I can't leave my friends in this mess!"

Amelie gave Claire a cold, disapproving look, "Claire, me mustn't risk your safety."

"I won't. He only attacked once and he barely did any damage. I was just caught off guard. We can protect ourselves now, we're prepared."

"Exactly. You were caught off guard once, you can be caught off guard again."

"I won't." she repeated, "Please, Amelie. If it's so dangerous that you want to send me away, then it's too dangerous to leave my friends."

Amelie eyed Claire for a long moment and Claire's brief sense of victory at her brave speech vanished as she worried if she still had a choice in staying, or if she ever did and Amelie was just humoring her...

**There you go! Hope you're all on the edge of your seats for Amelie's answer. Thanks for reading and all the great reviews. I checked them at 6 am, as soon as I got up for school this morning and they made my day! I think I already had 7 by then which is amazing. You guys are great. Keep reading!**


	14. Chapter 10

**Okay, so this chapter starts where the last one left off, meaning it includes the little sneak peek you guys got last week. Enjoy!**

"What? No way! I can't leave my friends in this mess!"

Amelie gave Claire a cold, disapproving look, "Claire, me mustn't risk your safety."

"I won't. He only attacked once and he barely did any damage. I was just caught off guard. We can protect ourselves now, we're prepared."

"Exactly. You were caught off guard once, you can be caught off guard again."

"I won't." she repeated, "Please, Amelie. If it's so dangerous that you want to send me away, then it's too dangerous to leave my friends."

Amelie eyed Claire for a long moment and Claire's brief sense of victory at her brave speech vanished as she worried if she still had a choice in staying, or if she ever did and Amelie was just humoring her.

"Alright, Claire. You may stay, on one condition."

"Uh oh." Eve muttered and Claire looked at Amelie uncertainly, to which she took as agreement.

"You may stay on the count that if Brandon attacks again, you will have no choice but to flee to sanctuary that I have chosen immediately. That, or leave now."

Claire mulled over the condition until Shane said, "Claire, do it. I'm all for you staying here but I can't watch you get hurt again. If he comes close to you, I want you safe as soon as possible."

Claire looked into his dark brown eyes and saw worry and love. Sighing, she grudgingly agreed that if Brandon were to attack again, she would leave Morganville.

When Amelie decided she would leave, Michael showed her to the door as Claire stayed frozen on the couch. It wasn't from shock, or fear, or pain, but from being so tense. She told Amelie that she could take care of herself, and she meant it— she was forever growing tired of being treated like a kid, but she didn't feel the confidence that she had forced into her words.

Would she be able to face leaving if she couldn't protect herself from Brandon? Leave her friends behind?

Shane?

What if they wouldn't let her keep her memory? Claire couldn't stand the thought of forgetting Shane, or the hurt that would put him through.

No, Amelie had to let her keep her memory. Otherwise, Claire wouldn't know why she was being sent to whatever destination Amelie had chosen and, therefore, would feel no reson to stay. That could prove problematic, not only for Claire's safety, but for Amelie.

She was taken from her thoughts as Shane pulled her against his chest. Kissing her hair, he whispered, "Just stay safe."

She nodded against him and Eve, feeling uncomfortable, requested a movie when Michael walked in. They all agreed on watching some cheap horror movie but Claire didn't mind. She was much too tired and enjoyed being able to focus on a fictional character's problems for a while.

It didn't take long for Claire to fall asleep, her head in Shane's lap. He let her be until the end of the movie and carefully picked her up and carried her to her bed.

As Shane curled up beside his sleeping girlfriend, he realized just how tired he was and was soon dead to the world as Claire curled into his side.

**Short and boring I know, but it's letting you know whats going on in between. More and exciting chapters to come! **


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